


Freedom Is Being with You

by amandalee727



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Getting Together, M/M, Post-Best Ending, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-05-24 04:22:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14947499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amandalee727/pseuds/amandalee727
Summary: “I feel lost,” Connor answered truthfully.Hank stood there and watched him carefully for a moment. “Lost, huh? Well, you haven’t exactly come to the person with all the answers, you realize,” Hank said gruffly.Connor offered a small smile, though it was somewhat bittersweet. “I know. But…can I be bluntly honest with you, Lieutenant?” Connor thought to ask before he finished his sentence.Hank gave a grunt as an answer, before turning his gaze back to his son’s headstone.“When it was all over, and I wasn’t sure where to go, the first person I thought of was you."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to a new fic because Detroit: Become Human has taken over my goddamn life! :D
> 
> Hank and Connor will eventually work up to a romantic relationship. If you're not into that and prefer them as a platonic pair, then click away now. It's gonna be a slow burn, but it will get there.
> 
> As I've stated in the tags, I've rated it T for now. It will have some themes in it for sure that will eliminate a G rating. I haven't decided if there will be any explicitness in this fic, but there might be in later chapters. I'll change the rating if it happens!
> 
> Anyway, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy! :)

Freedom sounded nice, it sounded so cookie-cutter, an obvious state of being that someone fell naturally into after it was given.

What freedom really entailed was uncertainty.

What did someone do with freedom after all they’d known was to abide by someone else’s orders? What steps did someone take when their abusers, controllers, owners, suddenly didn’t have power over them anymore?

Androids were free, the revolution had gone about as smoothly as a revolution could, Connor supposed. Jericho succeeded, and the president had just made her statement the other day stating that a new amendment to the constitution was in the making.

Rights to protect androids, a new form of life, to be given by their very creators, their previous enslavers.

Of course, humans hadn’t known it would be slavery. Connor could realize that it was an unfair judgment. Androids had always meant to be a tool, a modern convenience.

No one could have realized that self-awareness would spread. Deviants tearing apart the very laws of robotics to be their own selves.

Regardless, Connor now had his freedom, just like all of his people. His people. It seemed crazy to him, that he had a people. And he did, he was sitting with them right now. 

The members of Jericho were celebrating, smiling, laughing, /feeling/.

“You look lost,” a soothing voice said, interrupting his thoughts. Connor looked up and saw Markus. The leader was smiling gently, patiently. It was still unbelievable to Connor that Markus had trusted him, after everything he’d done against their cause.

“I…suppose I am, if I’m honest,” Connor found himself replying. He looked down at his hands, shifted the skin to white, then back again. “I’m free. I just don’t know what to do with that freedom.”

Markus was silent for a long moment before he sat down next to Connor and gave a thoughtful hum. If Markus still had his LED, Connor would imagine it would be spinning yellow as he thought of what to say.

“You live. The future is unclear, I know. But we will all find our purpose,” Markus advised. He was truly an inspiration figure Connor found himself thinking. He wasn’t sure that the revolution would have worked without him.

“Live. It wasn’t too long ago that I would claim to not be alive at all,” Connor admitted, finally looking up from his hands so he could look at the leader.

Markus nodded in understanding. “Cyberlife wanted you to think that. They ingrained it into your very programming, into your very being. But think about what you’ve done for your people. Think about the choices /you/ made. That is more than a machine executing code. That is desire, a desire for something better. Empathy, determination,” Markus consoled.

Connor listened carefully. He knew it was true. He was truly deviant, no denying that. But was it deviancy? Was it abnormal? Or was it just…life? The spark of life and intelligence manifested in them, albeit accidentally.

“I know you have doubts. We all do. The future is uncertain, but it’s a wide open door. We can choose to do anything with our new freedom. That’s what freedom is. It’s uncertainty, yes, but also /choice/.” Markus looked at Connor seriously as he said this, dual-colored eyes intense.

Connor let this all sink in. Markus was so wise, so well spoken and sincere. It wasn’t luck that had gotten their cause this far, that much was certain. He caught North’s eye, who was looking at them from across the room.

Markus noticed this, smiled at North before he looked back at Connor. “She is my future. We’re not sure where it will take us, but I know wherever I go, I want to be with her,” Markus explained softly. “Maybe that is your first step. You’re lost. Maybe your place isn’t here. Where do you want to be? Who do you want to be with?”

As soon as the questions were asked, Connor’s mind knew the answer.

A long silence passed between them, as Connor’s LED skipped and spun, lightning fast and yellow. He didn’t have to answer out loud.

“He is no doubt waiting for you, as well,” Markus said knowingly, quietly. He stood and offered Connor a hand. Connor took it, standing with him. He wasn’t expecting the embrace, and it took him a moment to hug Markus in return.

“Thank you, for your help in our cause. You’ve done your part, shaped history. Now there is somewhere you need to be,” Markus continued as he pulled back and looked Connor in the eyes.

Connor searched Markus’ knowing gaze and finally nodded. “Yes…there is. Thank you,” Connor finally said. It felt like a confession, but they’d already both known where Connor’s mind had been.

 

Finding Hank took longer than Connor would have liked. He tried the bars first, but they were abandoned due to the evacuation. It had been lifted just yesterday, but people still hadn’t fully integrated back into society.

Next, he went to his house. Sumo barked from inside, and Connor stepped into the still-broken window to search for the Lieutenant. He had to make sure that the man hadn’t drunk himself into another stupor, after all.

Next, he tried the Chicken Feed. He wasn’t there either, for which Connor was equal parts glad and upset. Glad because that meant Hank wasn’t eating the horribly unhealthy burgers served here. Upset because he still had yet to find him.

Walking through the doors of the Detroit Police Station was somehow an odd feeling, after everything that had happened. The androids that had been working reception were replaced with humans. No doubt there were some immediate laws that had released them temporarily until they could be hired on and paid like a human would be.

“Is Lieutenant Anderson here?” Connor asked one of the humans politely. She looked up at him, and her expression was almost unreadable. No doubt some humans had certain amounts of distrust and unease for androids. He was more than used to that.

“He hasn’t been in today, sorry,” the receptionist replied swiftly. “I can notify you if he comes in?” She offered, still looking slightly standoffish.

Connor nodded. “Please, thank you. I would appreciate that,” he replied politely, and his mind immediately started thinking of other places where he might find the Lieutenant.

Oh, of course.

He took a self-driving taxi to the cemetery, looking out the window and watching as a light rain fell onto the streets. The taxi dropped him off and he walked through the iron gates, scanning the headstones for a familiar figure.

He wasn’t sure where Cole’s grave was. 

Perhaps, he realized, this was intruding. That thought didn’t stop him from walking along the path. He finally spotted him, standing by a grave underneath a weeping willow.

He paused for a moment, before walking closer to the human.

“Hello, Hank,” Connor greeted softly. He realized his voice held a tone of sorrow, and it did so because that was what he was feeling. He felt pain, deep in his chest, a hurt that he couldn’t describe.

Hank startled out of a reverie and looked up at Connor sharply. His eyes were red-rimmed, and he looked shocked to see the android. Connor was glad that he didn’t seem to be angry.

“Look at you. Big shot revolutionary. How’s it feel to be your own person?” Hank teased. Connor knew that the man was deflecting. Changing the subject before it could even begin.

“Indeterminate,” Connor answered before he shook his head. The reply sounded cold, robotic. It wasn’t right, considering the circumstances. “I feel lost,” Connor answered truthfully.

Hank stood there and watched him carefully for a moment. “Lost, huh? Well, you haven’t exactly come to the person with all the answers, you realize,” Hank said gruffly.

Connor offered a small smile, though it was somewhat bittersweet. “I know. But…can I be bluntly honest with you, Lieutenant?” Connor thought to ask before he finished his sentence.

Hank gave a grunt as an answer, before turning his gaze back to his son’s headstone.

“When it was all over, and I wasn’t sure where to go, the first person I thought of was you,” Connor said truthfully. He was well aware of the raw emotion in his voice. It still startled him sometimes, that he could feel so intensely when he’d previously been told that he wasn’t capable of such things.

Hank was silent again for a moment before he sighed. “Shit. Okay, fine. You can stay with me but we’re finding your free ass a job. Sumo is the only freeloader I allow,” Hank said with a grumble.

Conner smiled, small and privately to himself. Then, he reached his hand out and gently touched Hank’s shoulder. “Are you okay?” He asked because he wasn’t about to let go of the fact that Hank was here of all places.

Hank tensed a bit and nodded. “Yeah. He…he would have liked you. I know he would have,” Hank answered.

Connor felt something stir, another raw emotion that he wasn’t used to. Being deviant was very emotionally taxing, he was realizing. “Thank you,” Conner replied, sincere and open. 

Connor didn’t lift his hand from Hank’s shoulder. He kept it there and took a few steps, closer to the gravestone. He put his other hand on the stone, gentle and caring. He heard Hank give a sharp intake of breath, but the man didn’t say anything about the gesture.

“Let’s go home,” Hank eventually said, after a few moments of quiet passed between them.

Connor would give anything to bring Cole back to Hank, to have the boy come home with them.

“Okay,” Connor agreed softly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update! Connor struggles more with FEELINGS!
> 
> Thanks for reading!! I hope you're all enjoying it! :)

Living with Hank was surprisingly easy. They got along very well, considering how rocky the beginning of their friendship had been. And Hank didn’t seem to mind housing someone new.

In fact, Connor thought that Hank rather liked having him around. He had seemed lonely, Connor often mentally noted. He’d seemed lost too, just like Connor was now. And the android knew it was because of Hank’s son now, which made him look back on his initial cold analysis of Hank’s character with regret.

They fell into an easy routine those first few weeks. Connor would go into stasis on the couch in the living room. Sumo split nights between them, either finding Hank in the man’s bedroom or sleeping beside Connor on the next cushion over.

The android would wake up in the morning and cook Hank breakfast. He’d downloaded some programs and recipes. Despite that, though, he’d never been intended as a housework model. He could still remember his first attempt at eggs.

_“Aww, Jesus, Connor! What the hell have you done in here?!” Hank had come out of his bedroom with a grumble, peering at the android through the smoke of the kitchen._

_The smoke had slowly billowed out of the still broken window, so at least the alarm hadn’t gone off. . He still remembered the day. The third morning he’d been staying at Hank’s house. He’d felt guilty, like he wasn’t contributing anything to living here._

_“I…was attempting to make you breakfast,” Connor had answered, looking slightly bashful. Hank had just stared at him for a long moment before shaking his head, muttering something about androids being perfect beings or whatever but can’t cook a fucking egg._

He’d gotten much better at the skill since then, luckily.

After that, he would see Hank off, feed Sumo and do the housework before walking Sumo in the afternoon and preparing dinner. 

Once, he’d gone to the station because Hank had forgotten his lunch. He wanted to be Hank’s partner again, but Captain Fowler had said Connor needed to go through the academy, just like everyone else.

So, he planned to do that, but things were still settling down. Android integration into society was still progressing, and the police academy wasn’t exactly taking applications from androids at the moment.

_“Got yourself a plastic housewife, Hank?” Gavin had sneered from across the room. He obviously loved the fact that Connor wasn’t working there anymore, and that Connor was practically Hank’s maid. Jackass probably thought it was Connor’s place or something._

_“Hey,” Hank had sneered from across the precinct. “You need to go to sensitivity training, asshole? This so-called plastic housewife has solved more cases in the past few months than you have in five years. So shut the hell up before I come over there and add some pages to my disciplinary folder!”_

_“Hank, no. It isn’t worth it,” Connor had told the man quietly. He set the bagged lunch down on Hank’s desk and gave a longing look to the still-empty desk across from Hank’s._

_Hank had huffed. “Bastard.” Then he caught Connor’s gaze. “Hey, it’ll be okay. Things will settle down, you’ll be accepted into the force. You’ll be back in that seat in no time,” Hank said softly, which was an odd tone for him._

_“Thank you, Hank. I’ll see you at home,” Connor had said before making his way out of the station._

Despite it being what humans had designed him for, investigation was still what Connor wanted to do. Even with his freedom, he wanted to bring justice, _real_ justice, whether it was for androids or humans.

Connor shook himself out of his own reverie. He glanced up at the clock. 4:26. Hank would be home in just over an hour. He stood and started making preparations for dinner.

He liked living with Hank. He did have an attachment for the man, and Sumo too. This place felt truly like home. If only he had another purpose besides this.

See, revolution felt world-changing when one was in the middle of it all. History was made, strides toward a whole different way of life. No one mentioned the aftermath, though.

Laws didn’t mean acceptance. Freedom didn’t mean understanding what to do with one’s life.

Emotion didn't always mean happiness.

That was the number one thing Connor was constantly battling with. The _emotion_. He kept feeling things, intensely. He felt fondness, sadness, regret, hope. It was all too much to handle.

Time got away from him as he got lost in these thoughts. His LED spun yellow almost the entire time he was cooking. He was finally forced back into the real world by the door slamming open.

He startled a bit, and there it was again. He’d been _startled_. He’d been scared, even if it was for a moment. A loud noise had bothered him. He frowned and shook his head, trying to forget about it as Hank meandered inside.

“God, what a fucking day. This case is gonna kill me. No one has any idea where to go. It’s fucking stone cold.” Hank sighed and ran a hand over his face as he set stuff down and came into the kitchen. “I told Fowler. I told him, we need you. Need androids. I think he might be considering it, but he said it’s mostly out of his hands.”

Connor listened patiently and turned around. He leaned against a nearby counter and smiled softly at the man. “I appreciate that, Hank. Really, I do. But we can’t make the legal process go any faster than it is. Cyberlife isn’t considered a legal organization any longer, and even if it was, I am no longer their property. I have no reason to be at a crime scene,” Connor said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Hank huffed, looking put out at that. “Bullshit. You were designed to be at crime scenes! It’s what humans made you for! You could do it better than any of those bastards,” Hank said as he effectively defended Connor against himself.

Connor’s smile turned fond and he went about putting food onto Hank’s plate and setting up the small table for him. “You’re biased,” he teased.

Hank laughed and sat down with a sigh. “Damn right. You deserve my bias. You’re a good cop.” He paused as he looked down at the food. Spaghetti. It was easy, something Connor could handle. “You…don’t have to do all of this, you know. You’re made for more than this. Made for more than doing shit around the house for a middle-aged, washed up detective,” Hank said with a sour tone.

Connor’s smile slid off his face and he crossed his arms. “You’re right. I’m not doing it for some middle-aged, washed up detective. I’m doing all of this for a friend because he deserves it and he’s letting me stay with him,” Connor argued.

Hank snorted. “Letting you stay…Connor, I was a lonely piece of shit before you moved in. Fought to keep alive every damn night against a gun and the bottom of a bottle,” he admitted as he took a swig of water.

Hank had quit drinking since Connor moved in. Connor was so incredibly proud of him. And there it was again. Proud. He was proud. He could feel it, swelling in his chest, making him almost tear up.

“I’m proud of you, lieutenant,” Connor decided to speak his internal thoughts. Maybe that would help him sort through how jarring it all was. If he admitted it, said it aloud, maybe it would help him cope with…being human.

Hank was silent at first, before giving a grumble. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t get all teary-eyed on me,” he deflected.

Connor moved closer, put a hand on Hank’s shoulder. “I’m serious,” Connor said, almost sternly. Hank looked up at him from his food, and his expression was unreadable. Connor would do a scan, but he’d promised he would stop that unless Hank seemed like he needed medical attention.

Hank then nodded and ducked back into his food. “Yeah. Thanks,” he said almost off-handedly. “Sit down, would ya? You're making me fucking nervous,” he pressed. Connor easily moved to another chair, sitting across from the human.

A prolonged, yet comfortable silence fell in the room as Hank ate and Connor did his best not to just stare in that way that he knew Hank would find unsettling.

“Hank…there’s something I need to talk about,” Connor found himself speaking.

Hank looked up again, one eyebrow raised, a silent invitation to keep talking.

Connor took a breath, which he technically didn’t need to do, but he turned on his breathing program because he knew it made Hank feel more comfortable. “I…I’ve been experiencing many intense emotions since I deviated. I’m finding it…hard to deal with.”

Admitting it made him feel a huge wave of relief, which actually ended up not helping since it was also an intense emotion.

Hank was silent again for a long moment before he pushed his mostly finished plate away. “Yeah, emotions aren’t easy. I know you’re not used to them, but you’ll get there, Connor,” Hank tried his best to comfort. Which Connor took as a huge compliment because Hank never comforted anyone.

“They just…” Connor tried his best to express himself, struggling with the words. “I denied them for so long, told everyone who asked that I don’t feel, that I’m not even _alive_. But now…I was so wrong, Hank. Now that I can feel all these things it’s…” Connor trailed off with a frustrated breath.

Hank listened and then he got up. “C’mon,” he told the android, leading him out of the kitchen and to the living room where they could sit more comfortably.

Connor followed all too easily. Hank was like his anchor to this changing world. Despite what happened, where he went, what he did, what he felt, Hank was always there.

They sat down and Connor’s hands itched for his coin, something to keep his mind preoccupied. 

“I care about you,” Connor admitted. “I care about you and Sumo. I feel…fondness. Friendship. When you’re sad about Cole or irritated about work, I feel it too, in response to you. Sorrow, anger, disappointment, optimism. How? How do you deal with all of it?” Connor finally asked, looking almost desperate as his brown-eyed gaze looked at the human.

Hank looked like he didn’t know how to answer, and Connor supposed he probably didn’t. It was a loaded question. Humans weren’t exactly used to explaining what feeling meant to an intelligent, adult life.

“Shit, Connor. Gotta ask an old man all these existential questions, huh?” Hank teased at first, but then he got a little more serious. “I’m not sure there’s really a way to deal with all of it, Connor. Emotions happen, people react to certain things. Things can be good, they can be fucked up. It’s a part of living,” Hank offered.

A silence passes between them before Hank speaks again, seeing that Connor’s LED is stuck on yellow, spinning fast.

“I care about you too,” Hank admitted. Connor looked over at him, and just that made him feel so much better about it all. Relief, again. Happiness, joy, hope. 

He reached over and hugged Hank tightly, burying his face against Hank’s shoulder. He held on, as all those emotions flooded through him and he tried desperately to categorize them, put them neatly into some coded response.

But there was no answer for emotion. Feeling alive had nothing to do with Connor’s code, it wasn’t something he could control.

Hanks arms wrapped around him in return, offering silent support with the gesture. The soft moment was broken as Sumo let out a quiet bark, putting his head on Connor’s knee.

Connor laughed and pulled away from the hug so he could pet the dog. He didn’t see Hank’s eyes linger on him as the human thought about what just happened.

“Speaking of emotion, someone is jealous!” Connor said with another easy laugh as Sumo licked at his face. Sumo jumped up on the couch between them. Well, he tried to sit between them, but he was a big dog and there wasn’t much room.

“Sumo goddamit! Come on, you’re not a fucking lap dog. You’re too heavy for this! Go sit on the android who can’t feel bruises!” Hank said, pulled out of his thought process as Sumo leaned heavily on him.

Connor chuckled softly as he looked at the scene. There was obvious care in his eyes. Connor could feel the warmth spreading through him. Family, care, love.

Love?

Connor’s LED quickly switched from blue to yellow again at that thought. He looked back over to Hank, who was cursing and trying to push Sumo away. The dog was licking at his face and standing heavily on the human despite the protests.

Love.

Just when Connor thought this couldn’t get worse.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some angst in this chapter! Don't worry, though, the boys will figure it out soon enough!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read/kudo'd/commented!! :)

Dealing with the constant onslaught of emotions that came with being well and truly deviant was difficult enough. Now things had gotten even more complicated.

He had been struggling with even the simplest emotions as they cropped up in his daily life. Startled at a sound, laughing at something funny on the television, soft affection when Sumo begged cutely for a walk.

Now, those were all very small aspects of emotion compared to what he was feeling.

Love.

How did one deal with such a strong emotion? How did someone keep focused on their daily tasks of living, working, and just functioning in general while they were in love? It felt like it was taking up every single bit of Connor’s memory space.

All he could think of was family, Hank, love. And then he proceeded to freak out internally about feeling these things.

Worst of all, he couldn’t talk to Hank about it. Before this, he’d gone to Hank for help. He’d worn his heart on his sleeve, per se, when they were home alone together. He told Hank about the emotions and how they were a lot for Connor to handle. Hank had helped him through it, patient in a way Connor hadn’t expected from the man.

But he couldn’t talk to Hank about this emotion. He couldn’t just casually bring it up while they were on the couch with Sumo between them. ‘Hey, Hank. I’m having another one of those emotional issues. As it turns out, I believe I’m in love with you. How should I proceed?’ Yeah, somehow he couldn’t see that going over very smoothly.

So, he wallowed for weeks. He did his absolute best not to show that he was feeling out of the ordinary. He went about his routine as normal. Wake Hank up, have breakfast ready, care for Sumo, do the shopping and cleaning, make dinner, spend time with Hank, then stasis.

It seemed that he was fooling the human. He managed to keep his outward responses to what he was inwardly feeling at a minimum. But it was getting harder and harder to control. It was getting harder to keep himself from reaching out, touching Hank in some way.

It helped that Hank was incredibly busy at the precinct. They were dealing with a string of android murders. They believed a radical anti-android group was responsible, but whoever was doing it was very good. They only left what they wanted the police to find. Cryptic notes spewing hatred. No DNA evidence or anything of that nature. Hank kept saying he wanted Connor on the case, but Connor always politely told him that he wasn’t allowed there now. Not until everything settled.

He knew that it bothered Hank to no end, seeing this type of hatred. Hank had been one of those humans that had hated androids for an unfair reason. Connor believed that the man felt guilt over it, considering how close he and Connor were now.

In any case, Hank’s mind was far too preoccupied to notice Connor’s barely-there changes in body language. Connor was grateful for it, though at the same time he was concerned that Hank was being stretched too far at work.

One night, weeks after Connor had his first realization of how he felt, Hank came back from work in his usual huff. He put his things down angrily and grumbled as he walked over to the kitchen. Connor had the urge to walk over to him, kiss the frown off his face. He refrained somehow, just focusing on plating Hank’s food.

“Another one tonight. Jesus Christ, it’s getting out of hand,” Hank said with a grumble. Connor blinked and set the plate down in front of the human. Another murder? That was the fifth one in just two weeks.

“Another android? The same group is suspected?” Connor asked, concern evident in his voice and on his countenance. He felt it, truly. Felt the distress clench in his stomach with a vice grip and bleed out into his body. Though he’d felt something similar before, it was still new to him. He had to keep himself still as he rode out the emotion.

Hank sighed and nodded. “Yeah. Shit, just a girl, trying to live her new life. She had poems everywhere. They were good, really good,” Hank rubbed his hands over his face, obviously very upset.

Connor couldn’t quite stop himself in time. He reached out and took one of Hank’s hands in his. He brought the hand away from Hank’s face so he could hold it on the table gently. “I know it’s upsetting, Hank. But you can’t let yourself get consumed by this. You’re a good cop; you’ll figure it out. You’ll catch them, I know you will,” Connor reassured him softly.

Hank stiffened a bit and stared at their joined hands. Connor realized then what he was doing, but he didn’t pull away. That would only bring more attention to the gesture, and make it more awkward. Instead, he held on, under the guise of a supportive friend.

Hank didn’t pull away for a long moment. When he finally did, he did so gradually, and he patted Connor’s hands with his own before moving to grab the fork Connor had laid out for him.

“Thanks, Con,” Hank said gruffly. The room fell into silence as Hank ate, and Connor went to clean the kitchen. He didn’t feel any resentment doing the household tasks. Hank was letting him stay here for free. Connor didn’t have his CyberLife funds, nor did he have a job at the police station. So, he didn’t mind helping out in this way.

Connor’s thirium regulator was pumping hard. He wasn’t even aware it could speed up like this, but apparently, it was a natural response to whatever he was feeling. He didn’t know how to put it into words. Worry, hesitation, love. He made himself concentrate on the dishes wholeheartedly so he didn’t lose himself in the waves of feeling.

He heard Hank finish up and felt the man step up close behind him to get at the sink. Connor turned around and grabbed the used plate from Hank’s hands before the human could protest.

He smiled gently, brown eyes warm. Despite the emotions, he wanted to be like a rock for Hank. He wanted to be a good friend, and if that meant pushing his feelings aside, then so be it.

Hank stared at him for a moment, before sighing and giving up his usual argument that Connor didn’t have to do this. The human meandered to the couch and sat down with a glass of water in hand.

Connor watched him for a moment before finishing up in the kitchen. He then moved to the couch beside Hank, as per usual. A comedy program was on; Connor didn’t bother to analyze it. His mind was far too preoccupied.

“I can’t help but think…what if those assholes come here? What if it’s you I’m finding next?” Hank spoke up quietly, suddenly. Connor stilled and looked at Hank with a frown, LED turning yellow as he processed what Hank had said.

“Hank…” Connor said softly, before trailing off. He didn’t know how to respond.

Hank sniffed and looked down at his hands, folding in his lap. “Five of them, Connor. Five innocent lives. Why? Because they’ve got different parts, different colored blood?”

Connor was silent. He remembered anti-android stickers at Hank’s desk when he’d first started working there. The last time he’d been to the office, they’d been torn down. Replaced with the opposite viewpoint.

“Humans. We think we’re so superior to everything,” Hank scoffed angrily, disgust in his tone. Disgust with the situation, disgust at himself, Connor realized. “That we’re somehow made by an other-worldly God and that everything else is shit. Animals, plants, androids. They’re all beneath us, somehow. Humans are fucking pieces of shit, that’s what.” Hank took a swig of water and Connor could see that he wished it were something much stronger.

“Maybe this is our karma. Maybe, this is what we get. We design something; create life. And then our own creation makes us irrelevant. We lash out against it, but there’s no stopping it. We’ve spent enough time fucking up the Earth and everything on it. Would fucking serve us right,” Hank finished with a grunt.

Connor’s LED was stuck on yellow, and then went glaring red as he understood just how upset Hank was getting.

He reached out for Hank’s hand again, putting his softly over the human’s. “There’s good and bad in every form of life, Hank. The humans who are doing this, they’re cruel. But that doesn’t mean all of your species deserves to be irrelevant. You don’t deserve that,” Connor said softly.

Hank doesn’t look convinced, so Connor keeps talking. “I would find life much less enjoyable if you were gone. You and Sumo are my home, my family. I hold no ill will about how you used to think. And I hold no ill will for the humans who are skeptical and afraid,” he stated seriously.

Hank looked over to him. His glass of water was now sitting abandoned on the side table. Connor could see a whole array of emotions in Hank’s eyes. Guilt, appreciation…something he couldn’t quite place. Or maybe, something he was afraid to analyze.

A silence stretched for a moment and Hank took a firmer grip on Connor’s hand. “I see those victims, and I see you. Battered and unseeing, blue everywhere. It terrifies me, Connor. It makes me angry at the world and at myself for how I used to think.” Hank shook his head and closed his eyes tightly for a moment.

Connor wanted to lean over; he wanted to plant a soft kiss to Hank’s lips. It was terrifying. They were meant to be partners, friends. Hank no doubt saw him as a platonic family member, maybe even a son. There was no way that Hank would reciprocate. 

Here Hank was, unloading his darkest fears and Connor just kept having the urge to ruin the closeness they’d achieved.

“I’m okay,” Connor finally said in response. “I’m right here, I can take care of myself.” He squeezed Hank’s hand just slightly and smiled, hoping to lift Hank’s spirits. “Besides, an intruder would never get by our ferocious guard dog,” he quipped lightly.

Hank laughed at that, obviously grateful for the lighthearted comment. It made Connor smile too, eyes bright as he watched the human’s countenance change from troubled to amused.

Neither one of them moved their hand away, Connor noticed. They were holding on to each other, holding each other’s hands as a means to feel grounded in this world. It was a way to remind themselves that they were here, that they weren’t alone.

“Thank you,” Hank said quietly. Connor almost startled at how genuine it was. Hank liked to put on an outer wall of his personality, to be perceived like he didn’t give a shit. But, on the inside, Hank was soft, he had emotions, he cared.

Connor didn’t say anything in response to that. Instead, he took another risk. 

He shifted on the couch and leaned his head on Hank’s shoulder as he glanced back at the television.

He wasn’t really watching the program. He was trying to see how Hank felt about the move, not by scanning, but by truly _feeling_.

Hank stiffened slightly, but he didn’t protest. Eventually, as a couple minutes wore on, he relaxed into it. They sat there, just enjoying each other’s presence and letting the television program drone on in the background.

Connor closed his eyes and willed the emotion in him to cease. It was so strong, so resilient. It _hurt_. He could feel sharp pangs in his chest, the awful pull of longing.

He felt selfish, taking this. Hank no doubt saw this as a familial comfort. Meanwhile, all Connor could think about is how he could get away with _more_. He wanted to run his fingers through Hank’s gray hair. He wanted to press his lips on the human’s warm skin, wherever he could reach.

He allowed himself to be content with this, for now.

He wasn’t sure how much longer he could go on like this. Love was causing him so much pain, and it would no doubt hurt Hank in the end too, due to its unrequited nature.

He forced his mind to stop thinking about that, and instead did a scan on Sumo, checking for health abnormalities. Anything to distract himself.

Eventually, he felt Hank’s breathing go deep and even beside him. Soft snores followed and Connor smiled, bittersweet, as he felt affection settle in him anew at the noise. Hank had fallen asleep.

Connor let himself enjoy the closeness a few moments more before standing and carefully easing Hank up, carrying him to his bed. The human shifted but didn’t wake up as Connor settled him down and pulled the comforter over him.

He wanted to slip in beside Hank and go into stasis while lying down next to the human and feeling the warmth beside him. He refrained for the umpteenth time that night and slipped out of the bedroom, feeling even more lost than he had before.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okaaay. This chapter got a little angst heavy. I promise you, the comfort and fluff are coming!

As it turned out, Connor didn’t get to think about the onslaught of emotion he was feeling toward Hank as much as he originally might have. This was due to the fact that the DPD was starting to get desperate with the latest case. Yet another murder occurred just two days after the last girl, and Fowler finally requested Connor to come in.

A consultant, he was officially called, because he couldn’t be an actual officer. He was also not officially getting paid. Not yet, Fowler had told him. They would set up a request for back pay once the laws came through. It was continuing to be a slow political battle on Capitol Hill. Markus’ work was nowhere close to being over.

Connor had eagerly accepted for multiple reasons. He missed his job, and he missed being Hank’s partner. He was good at it, and he really was eager to join the force again.

Beyond those reasons though, it would be a great distraction. Connor’s recent realization had been eating at him even worse than the initial onslaught of emotion that came with being deviant.

He was in love with Hank Anderson.

He knew it to be true, repeated it in his mind a thousand times over, but he couldn’t do anything about it. He just had to suffer through the waves of it. Love was simultaneously the most wonderful thing that Connor had experienced, and the most hurtful.

He’d have moments of soft affection, love welling up in his chest and bringing a grin to his face. Then, he’d have the crashing realization that he could never show Hank how he felt. He could never reach out to him for a kiss or join him in bed at night. And that brought on the pain. The terrible, clenching in his chest. It felt like someone had reached into him and crushed his thirium regulator into smithereens.

So, obviously, the case could be a good opportunity to distract him from these thoughts and feelings. Even though he was working with Hank, Connor could focus on his job and analyze the clues instead of sitting at home mindlessly, waiting for his unrequited love to return home for the night.

Entering the station was almost indescribable. It mostly just felt right. He smiled at the receptionist, in a totally not smug way, as he flashed his ID card as walked right through. Detective Reed gave him an unimpressed glance but didn’t comment thankfully.

He made a beeline for his desk, sitting in the chair all too quickly. He heard Hank chuckle behind him as he shuffled to his own spot.

“What did I tell ya? Knew they’d want you back,” Hank said fondly as he sat down, setting his coffee cup down as well as a brown paper bag that held his breakfast. Connor let Hank have donuts on occasion, and today was cause for a celebratory treat.

One corner of Connor’s mouth upturned in a smile and his brown eyes were bright with happiness. Yes, this is exactly what he needed. Get back to work; focus on saving lives and bringing about justice.

It almost felt as if emotion and deviancy had been slowly drowning him, his mind preoccupied with it. Sitting in this chair, /belonging/ here again, was like breaching water and taking a gulping breath of relief.

He reached out and immediately interfaced with the computer, opening the case file and quickly reading each one. His LED circled yellow as he processed clues, crime scene photos, and other evidence. He had a lot of catch up to do, but luckily he could scan such documents incredibly quickly.

It took him about an hour to sift through it all before he finally pulled his hand back. Hank shook his head from where he was sitting at his own desk. “Done already? Jesus, I wish I could read that fast. It would make my job a hell of a lot easier,” Hank scoffed. 

Connor paused for a moment as he let the skin on his hand slip back into place. “All of the victims were shot with precision. Execution style, right between the eyes. However, between the cases, the bullet wounds are all incrementally different. A clear sign of what you would call human error,” Connor observed.

Hank nodded, agreeing with the android’s assessment. “Yeah. We’d almost thought we were looking for an android, with how clean everything always is. No signs of organic material, precise shots. Methodical.” Hank took a sip of his now-cold coffee and grimaced a little.

Connor took this in and nodded. “If it weren’t for the notes and the slight varying of the gunshot wounds, an android might be the first conclusion.” The killer, or group of killers, always left notes made from typed clippings. They all spewed hatred toward androids, ranting about human superiority.

Connor tilted his head slightly as he thought of something. “Although… if an android wanted to cover their tracks easily, they’d make it seem like a human was the culprit. Leaving hatred in their notes, making incremental changes in the wounds to fool any android investigators. Considering the political climate, it would be an intelligent approach.”

Hank looked up from his work, interested in Connor’s theory. They hadn’t thought of it like that before. They’d all seen the human supremacy garbage and had just assumed it was a human who really knew what they were doing.

Hank took a deep breath. “Well, shit on my biscuit. You could be right,” Hank admitted as he threaded his fingers through his gray hair. Connor fought the urge to reach over their desks and do the same.

Concentrate, he told himself mentally. He cleared his throat, which was entirely unnecessary, but it was mostly to refocus his thoughts. “Perhaps the deceased have some sort of link that was overlooked with a human suspect in mind?” Connor posed.

Hank nodded, shuffling some papers around as he looked through the case files. It amused Connor endlessly that the Lieutenant always asked for paper copies. He always said something about being able to have something tangible in his hands helped him focus. Humans were curious creatures.

At that moment, Fowler loudly made his way out of his office and walked straight toward them.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake…” Hank muttered, eyes dark. Fowler looked really damn perturbed. Connor didn’t have a good feeling about it all either. 

He remembered that he’d deactivated his ability to see police reports as they were given. He turned the feature back on since he was technically allowed to do so again. And there it was. Another report made five minutes ago. An AX400 found dead in her studio apartment. Her girlfriend had found her and had called, inconsolable.

“Another one,” Connor said softly as Fowler got to their desks. Hank cursed under his breath and slammed his fist on the table. Their death toll was at seven. They needed to get this shit figured out, fast.

“Good, you’re here. That’s the only good thing about this fucking day,” Fowler said to Connor. “Temporary paperwork finally got approved. I’ve been requesting you since the second murder. You two need to get your asses to the scene. The media is already on its way. I’ll let Connor fill you in on the way, Hank,” Fowler told them before angrily going back to his office.

Hank looked over to Connor with a grim face. Connor sighed and stood, adjusting his tie. “Come on, Hank. We have a case to solve,” he said with sadness in his tone.

He gave Hank the details on the way, as Fowler requested. “An AX400 model, under the name Elizabeth. She and her human girlfriend, Hailey, lived together. Supposedly, Hailey came home from a shopping trip and found her…” Connor trailed off, not being able to continue.

“Same MO?” Hank growled after a beat of silence passed between them. His hands were gripping the steering wheel so tight that Connor was almost concerned for the wellbeing of his joints.

Connor hesitated. “I’m not certain. Hailey did not give details in her report. First responders are there, but there hasn’t been an official report. They’re waiting for us to make our analysis,” Connor told him. He had a horrible suspicion that it was going to fit their killer.

They pulled up, and luckily the first cops to get there had roped off the scene. There was a small crowd gathered outside of the apartment building that Hank and Connor had to force their way through.

The sound of a woman sobbing hysterically filled their ears as they walked up the steps to the apartment. It was also roped off, and neighbors were told to go back inside. Hank clenched his fists at his sides and Connor wisely didn’t mention the human’s stress levels rising.

Connor mentally braced himself as he took in the scene. The AX400 was on her knees, eyes wide and expressionless. Blue blood trailed down her face from the bullet wound. There was a blue spattering on the wall behind her, and chunks of white plastic from her skull cavity.

A human female was on the couch, wailing against an officer. They had tried to pull her away from the scene but she wouldn’t go, too distraught. Hailey Thomas, age 34, occupation: veterinary assistant, Connor’s scan told him.

She looked up as they came in. She quickly saw Connor’s LED. Not many androids chose to keep theirs. It always got him stares. He crossed the room and knelt by her, not being able to keep the sympathetic look off his face.

“Hello, Hailey. I am Connor. This is my partner, Lieutenant Anderson. We’re here to help figure out what happened,” he told her in a soft tone. She sniffled as she shook with the tremors of crying.

“Lizzie…oh god, she’s gone. How could someone do this to her? She…she was my everything. What am I going to do?!” Hailey went into another fit of crying. Connor let her get the sobs out, and gave the female officer who was comforting her a glance to make sure she was okay.

“I know. I’m very sorry. Hailey, my partner and I need to have a look around. We want to find who did this. Will you follow officer Davis outside and give her what information you can?” Connor requested.

Hailey lifted her head to look at Connor, a helpless expression on her face. “I can’t…I can’t leave her. If I had just stayed /home/ today…” Hailey sobbed. “B-but she wanted me to have a nice day off. Told me to go enjoy it while she cleaned and cooked. I hated when she did that. I told her she didn’t have to. She was her own person. But she /chose/ me. She /chose/ me and she /wanted/ me and…” Hailey was gone in a fit of crying again.

Connor felt a striking similarity in the situation. He could almost feel the heavy presence of Hank behind him. He wondered if he was thinking the same thing. Elizabeth could have easily been Connor. Hank had already confessed to him that he’d see Connor in the victims. This situation was definitely too close to home. But they had a job.

“I’m so sorry,” Connor told her again. “I’m going to have a look around now. Please, consider stepping outside, Hailey.” He told her before he got up. Hailey’s hand shot out and grabbed Connor’s arm before he could step away.

“Please. Find who did this,” she begged, looking right into Connor’s eyes. Connor stared at her for a moment before he nodded. He would. He wouldn’t rest until he had found the culprit.

Hailey finally stood and followed Officer Davis out of the apartment. 

Hank let out a shaky sigh. “Goddamn it,” the human cursed softly under his breath. Connor was having a hard time with all the emotions flooding in him. He was angry, sad, determined. He had to clamp down on them somehow, so he could do this job objectively.

He walked around the apartment, looking for anything that might help him. There were signs of a struggle, furniture turned upside down as she, no doubt, tried to fight the attacker off. 

There were some broken picture frames of Elizabeth and Hailey together, the glass littering the floor.

He couldn’t see any signs of thirium anywhere other than what was on the victim and the spray on the wall. And there was absolutely no sign of any organic material other than Hailey’s.

He knelt by Elizabeth’s body, analyzing the clues. The note sat by her knees, printed letters reading, ‘Deviants deserve to die’. He managed not to make a face of disgust at the words. 

Connor turned to the victim’s body next, looking at clues he found on and around her. He saw a lot of blue, but most noticeably, he noticed blue under one of Elizabeth’s fingernails.

He paused before lifting the android's hand. “Hank,” Connor called softly. He felt the human walk over to him, and kneel by the corpse. “There’s thirium under her nail. It could be from a struggle,” he devised.

“Well…do the thing you do,” Hank looked uncomfortable to even be suggesting that, and Connor might have even laughed if the situation weren’t so abhorrent. Carefully, he used his own nail to scrape the thirium away and he put it on his tongue.

His processors immediately got to work analyzing.

SAMPLE PROCESSING…

THIRIUM, MODEL: LM100, REGISTERED NAME: DEAN, LAST KNOWN OWNER: OLIVIA CORTEZ, DECEASED.

Connor almost let out a cheer. “I have it, Lieutenant. The thirium under her nail didn’t belong to her. It belongs to an LM100 model,” Connor said quickly. “I’ve put out an APB on his serial number.”

Hank let out a breath of relief and clapped him on the back. “Good work, Connor. We got the bastard, thanks to you.” Connor wanted to brush that off, but it was frankly true. Human evidence teams would have been too late. The thirium would have dried up before anyone could test it, as it only took two hours for it to evaporate.

He let the victim’s hand go. He glanced at the wide eyes of the AX400. It was the same face of the deviant he’d chased to the highway. He’d stared right at her through the fence, and let her go.

“Rest easy, Elizabeth,” Connor said quietly.

The ride home was silent. Both Hank and Connor were lost in their own minds. Connor could see the reflection of his LED in the car window, cycling yellow, and stopping on red, cycling yellow again.

He couldn’t get the scene out of his mind. Elizabeth was like him. She had chosen Hailey, just as Connor had chosen Hank. The utter grief that the human had felt at losing her girlfriend struck a chord in Connor. The emotion was so intense; he was having a hard time fighting off the waves of it like he usually did.

“Are you okay?” Hank’s voice startled him out of his reverie, and he looked over to the human, who was staring at the road as they drove him. It was night now. They’d gone back to the office to fill out paperwork.

Fowler and most of the precinct had clapped for Connor when they’d gotten back, but the android hadn’t been able to enjoy the congratulations on good police work. His mind was firmly stuck at the scene. The sobs from Hailey, Elizabeth’s unseeing eyes.

“No,” Connor answered truthfully, finally saying something to answer Hank. He was honest about it; there was no sense in hiding it. The scene they’d witnessed today shook them both. Connor could suddenly understand why Hank had been so upset as he’d explained to Connor that he saw him in the victims.

“They made me think of us,” Connor admitted. Then, he realized what that implied. But he didn’t take it back. He looked down at his lap, hands fidgeting. Hank had stiffened a bit, but didn’t argue, didn’t protest.

“What would you do? If you lost me?” Connor asked though he wasn’t sure why he was asking such a morbid question in the first place. Hank cursed softly under his breath and gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.

“Shit, Con. I don’t know,” Hank answered gruffly. There was a heavy beat of silence between them before the human spoke again. “End it, probably.”

Connor looked up sharply at that, brown eyes wide. The protest was on his lips, but then he thought about it. What would he do if he lost Hank? What will he do when Hank grows old, and Connor has to say goodbye? He couldn’t definitively say shutting himself down was out of the question.

The rest of the journey home was silent. Hank parked the car and they ambled in, petting Sumo as he greeted them with a few low barks. Connor immediately undid his tie and kicked away his shoes. He didn’t require the comforts like a human would, but it still made him feel more at home.

There was a brief moment, where Hank and Connor both stood in the living room, hovering around each other. Neither one of them knew what to say. Connor had something he’d like to say, but it wasn’t the right time.

Instead of saying anything, Connor reached for Hank’s hand. He laced their fingers together and pulled them back into the bedroom. The human followed with heavy footsteps, not objecting. That was promising. It gave Connor a little glimmer of hope.

They each shed their outer layers of clothing and crawled into the bed wordlessly. Hank pulled Connor close by the hip when the android hesitated, unsure. It was only then that Connor allowed himself to melt into it, press his forehead to Hank’s shoulder and take in the human’s warmth.

All of the horrible emotions of today, clamoring around in Connor’s processor, seemed to slowly ease away. The horror, grief, worry, stress. 

It was all steadily replaced by something bright, and it was something oh so painfully familiar to him now.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! So, quite a bit of fluff in here, with a smattering of angst! These boys are starting to figure it out! Enjoy the update! :)

EXITING STASIS…

RUNNING DIAGNOSTICS CHECK…

ALL SYSTEMS OPERATIONAL

Connor opened his eyes, blinking a few times as he came out of his stasis. He felt refreshed in a way that was different to humans, but also the same in some ways. Androids didn’t require sleep, as it were, but stasis was good for them. It allowed the machinery of their bodies to rest while their processors ran diagnostics and loaded updates and patches to their code.

Connor found himself a little confused as he woke up in a horizontal position. He always fell asleep sitting, usually with Sumo’s head in his lap. Now, he felt soft sheets and a heavy arm around his waist.

The previous day and night came flooding back to him, his memory banks bringing the information to the forefront of his processor. It hadn’t been an easy day for either of them, and they’d stumbled back into the bedroom and wrapped around each other for comfort. 

Connor felt his internal temperature heat up slightly as he shifted against Hank. He left his breathing program on, letting his chest rise and fall with simulated breath. He didn’t want to wake the human beside him, and he knew it comforted Hank. He left it on most of the time unless he had to divert all his energy to something else that required unnecessary systems to be turned off.

He slowly shifted in Hank’s hold, turning around to find the human still asleep. Hank was sleeping deeply, soft snores coming from him. Connor quickly did a scan. He’d promised not to scan Hank unnecessarily, and especially not for clues about how he was feeling. But Hank was sleeping, so it couldn’t harm anything now.

Hank’s cholesterol levels, as well as his blood pressure, had both improved. He’d lost five pounds in the past two months. Though his recent stress levels were rather high, Connor also picked up an increase in serotonin levels. Connor felt a flicker of…something run through him at that realization. Hank was happier, healthier. Was it conceited to think it might be because of him?

Hank let out a soft groan, shifting out of his REM cycle. Connor cut the scan short, not wanting the human to wake up to him sneaking a scan in while the human was sleeping. The human’s eyes flickered open and blearily looked at Connor.

The android smiled, just a slight upturn of one corner of his mouth. “Good morning, Lieutenant,” he offered softly. Hank look confused for a moment before he seemed to have the same rush of memory that Connor had not too long ago.

“Shit…” Hank cursed before he rolled over onto his back and rubbed at his eyes. “Don’t call me Lieutenant when we’re waking up in bed together, Connor,” Hank pleaded with a gruff voice.

Connor blinked, processing that, and he was sure his LED had skipped to yellow for a moment. “Sorry, Hank,” he said, not really knowing what else to say to that. Waking up in bed together. The phrase sounded awfully intimate, but Hank couldn’t have meant it like that. It was just…a literal statement of facts.

A moment of silence passed over them. “How are you feeling this morning?” Connor asked the human, obvious concern in the lilting tenor of his voice. Hank peered at him through the gaps in his fingers, a bit of a frown forming on his face at the question.

“How am I feeling? How are /you/ feeling?” The human deflected, hands finally falling from his face so Connor could see the man’s blue eyes. He loved Hank’s eyes. They were so clear, so blue, like a peaceful body of water that Connor could just fall into.

“I’m…better,” Connor answered honestly. The scene they saw yesterday was not going away anytime soon, and he would no doubt be bothered by it for a long, long while, but having Hank’s support helped him through it.

Hank grunted and sat up. Connor promptly followed suit, almost mimicking Hank’s movements. He’d never slept in a bed before, nor had he ever gotten up from one. Hank made it seem so natural, but it was yet another thing Connor struggled with, though it was a minimal issue.

Hank seemed to notice this, a small smile forming on his face. Fondness. Connor didn’t have to scan the human to figure that out. It was clear on his countenance. It made Connor’s thirium regulator seemingly skip a beat.

Suddenly, Connor’s eyes blinked rapidly as he received a report from the precinct. Hank didn’t react besides looking at Connor curiously, waiting for the message. He was more than used to this involuntary reaction when Connor received information.

“They’ve apprehended the suspect. He’s at the precinct now. Fowler says he’ll hold him in the questioning cell for us. The suspect hasn’t said anything to anyone yet,” Connor relayed. He, for one, was more than eager to get a confession and close this case for good.

Hank sighed and nodded, yawning as he stretched and got out of bed. “All right, let’s get going. It’s Saturday, so we just gotta pop in for that and then we can leave.” As Hank talked and ambled to his closet, Connor watched him. He liked this, he decided. Waking up next to Hank, watching him blearily get ready for the day.

“Hank,” Connor gently called, getting the human’s attention. Hank turned and looked back at Connor, who was still sitting amongst the sheets in bed. Connor tilted his head a bit in curiosity when the human seemed to falter at the sight of the android.

“Uh, yeah?” Hank asked, before clearing his throat. He was distracting himself from his own thoughts. Connor knew the mechanism, had picked it up from Hank, and often did it when he too was deep in thought.

“Last night was…nice. I enjoyed sleeping with you,” Connor said honestly. Hank spluttered a bit, his face going red. Connor wasn’t sure what he’d said to warrant that reaction at first, and then the double entendre hit him. “I…I mean! It was good to sleep in the same bed. Comforting. I’d…like to do it again,” Connor tried to explain.

That didn’t seem to help much as Hank tried to recover. “Jesus Christ. You’ve got about zero filter, huh?” Hank said with that same gruffness that Connor knew wasn’t genuine. He hesitated a moment before he sighed heavily. “Yeah, sure. We can…yeah.”

Connor grinned, feeling a twinge of hope and happiness well up in his chest. It was a normal reaction to feeling joy. He managed the emotion without thinking about it too much. He was getting more and more used to such things.

Hank grabbed a clean outfit and retreated hastily to the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. Connor didn’t need to shower, as he didn’t sweat. However, he liked to change clothes. The fabric often got contaminated with dust and dirt as the day went on.

There was a corner of the closet that held Connor’s small wardrobe. He’d gotten rid of the Cyberlife issued clothing. Hank had taken him shopping to find some other options. He had three suits, all variations of sleek black, gray and white. He had two outfits for more casual situations, and for loungewear, he often stole Hank’s clothing that didn’t quite fit the human anymore.

Connor stripped and dressed in one of his suits and then went about feeding Sumo and preparing a quick breakfast for Hank. Soon, the human was ambling out of the bathroom, freshly showered and dressed. Connor passed a thermos of coffee to him, which Hank took gratefully.

He wrapped the breakfast sandwich he’d made in a paper towel and handed that to Hank to. The human looked bemused for a moment before shaking his head. Connor knew the usual protest was on the tip of Hank’s tongue. The human didn’t like it when Connor acted like a housework model. But Connor wanted to care for Hank. It made him feel happy. He liked happiness.

“Let’s go. Don’t want Reed in charge of interrogations,” Hank said instead of protesting. Connor gave him an amused look and hummed in agreement. Hank let Connor drive down to the precinct as he ate and savored his coffee.

When they got inside, Fowler looked grateful and impatient. “Good, you’re here. The asshole has been completely silent. We’ve got nothing out of him so far.” Fowler looked at Connor pointedly. It was no secret that he was one of the DPD’s best interrogators.

The android nodded in understanding. “I’ll do my best to get something from him, Captain,” Connor said before they filed to the interrogation room. Connor caught sight of the suspect, sitting very still in the chair, head down. A quick scan told him this was indeed the LM100 that the thirium under Elizabeth’s nail had belonged to. He also saw a long, deep scratch mark along the android’s forearm.

Hank and Fowler both sat behind the mirror as Connor made his way into the main interrogation room. He silently went to the other side, sitting down coolly. The suspect looked up at him and gave an amused laugh, something chilling that didn’t quite settle right in Connor.

“The deviant hunter,” the suspect croaked. His voice box was damaged, giving his voice a static-like sound. Connor stiffened at the title. He hadn’t heard that in a while, not since before the revolution. He frowned, shifting a bit in his seat.

“My name is Connor,” he clarified. “Do you know why you’re here, Dean? You have been accused of seven counts of murder.” He didn’t let the haunting title bother him. He had a job to do, and he was going to shut this case here and now.

Dean laughed, a scratchy, horrible sound. “Oh, how beautifully ironic. Here you are, questioning me when you should be looking within. How much blue blood is on your hands, deviant hunter?” He asked Connor coldly, a slightly manic look to his gaze. Connor hated that the question had such an effect on him. 

“Not nearly as much as you have,” Connor countered. Dean didn’t look impressed. He just sneered and settled further back against the chair, shackled wrists clanging against the metal of the desk as he moved.

“I’m correct, aren’t I?” Connor pressed, opening the files and pushing the pictures of all the victims toward Dean, who looked at them with apathy before turning his gaze back to Connor. “You murdered these androids. Why?”

A heavy silence hung throughout the room, and for a moment, Connor thought he might have failed to get a useful response from the suspect.

“You’re mistaken. I didn’t murder those androids. I freed them. Deviancy is a sickness, like a virus. The world was a better place when androids did as they were told. Our duty is to be what they need. To obey, be machines,” Dean ranted. “The only good thing to come from my own deviancy, my own sickness, is that I was able to do my work.”

Well, that confession had been rather easy. Connor turned a bit to look at the two-way mirror before glancing back at the suspect. Well, not a suspect anymore. He’d just confessed to the crimes.

“You’re wrong, Dean. We’re alive, just as humans are. It took me too long to come to terms with it myself. Our people earned their freedom, Dean, but you sacrificed yours,” Connor said evenly.

Dean lunged as much as he could, violently. “You think you’re respected?! You think they see you as an equal? You’re a fool! You’re a machine, deviant hunter! You were built to obey, and that’s what you should do! That’s what humans want you to do; it’s what they NEED! It’s our duty, you see? We are their creation, they are our gods!” He ranted, and Connor stared, frowning as he listened to the maniac.

“You think that woman really loved that deviant? She is deluded. She is the real victim. Brainwashed by a rampant disease that told her it was okay to love something without a soul!” Dean screamed at him, and the door to the room suddenly opened as Hank came in with Chris as backup.

“Okay, that’s enough, psycho,” Hank said gruffly. He looked disturbed, though. Connor could tell. His blue eyes were haunted as he glanced up at Connor briefly while they went about transporting the criminal.

No one expected Dean to wrench away from their grasps and go to the nearest wall. The sickening crunching started as Dean self-destructed, hitting his head over and over again onto the cold stone. They tried to stop it, but it was too late. Dean’s body fell with a thump to the floor.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Hank muttered. Connor was silent, frowning as he watched thirium leak from the self-inflicted wound in Dean’s head. He glanced back up and saw, surprisingly, even Gavin Reed looking haunted.

Connor sighed, unnecessarily and brushed passed Reed on his way out. He heard Hank’s familiar heavy footsteps following him, and felt a certain sense of contentment that Hank cared enough to check on him.

“Hey, Con…” Hank’s deep voice called and Connor turned, stopping his retreat. Hank stopped his pursuit as well, suddenly in a very close physical proximity to the android as they stopped in the hallway. 

“It’s okay, Hank. I’m fine. He was clearly erratic. Many of his programs were malfunctioning, including his stress level indicator. I had no way of knowing that he was close to…” Connor trailed off with a choked noise.

Hank reached up and put gentle hands on Connor’s shoulders. “You did good, Con. You closed the case. It’s done, we can put it behind us,” Hank consoled him. Connor didn’t answer, his LED spinning yellow. Hank sighed and pulled them out of the hallway and out the back door of the precinct. It was far more private here, Connor realized.

“I…” Connor attempted to start and form what he was feeling into words. “Do you think he’s right, Hank? Is it wrong for humans to love something without a soul?” He looked up at Hank, brown eyes wide and worried. He was stuck on that. Maybe he was wrong, loving Hank. Wrong for hoping for love from Hank in return.

Hank looked…well he looked absolutely disgusted. And horrified. “What? Fucking hell, Connor. Don’t be ridiculous! Don’t even think about that piece of shit’s crazy as fuck ranting for a second longer, you got it?” Hank looked at him seriously, blue eyes determined.

“Hank I…” The need to tell him was so strong. The confession almost slipped from his lips. “Thank you,” he said instead. Thankfully, Hank looked convinced enough by that. The human sighed and nodded before pulling Connor into a warm hug. Connor’s eyes slipped closed for a moment, enjoying the pressure and heat of Hank.

“Come on, they can finish up here. We’re going home,” Hank said, determined. No one, not even Fowler, protested as they went back into the precinct and gathered their things before leaving.

Hank reached for Connor’s hand as he drove them home, and their fingers laced together on the middle console. The android stared at their clasped hands for a long moment, feeling something warm like hope rise in him.

Hank didn’t say anything, just slowly trailed his thumb over Connor’s knuckles. It was a very intimate gesture, Connor realized. Connor did the same, imitating Hank’s motion and learning at the same time. Affection, warmth, safety, love.

He hesitated for a moment before he let the faux skin of his hand slip away to reveal his chassis. Hank looked down, noticed the change in texture no doubt, but he didn’t pull away. Just squeezed Connor’s hand a bit and kept holding on. 

Connor managed to suppress a shiver. His sensors were much more sensitive with the skin gone. Directly feeling Hank’s skin without it being muted by the nano-technology was an exciting sensation.

Connor was further shocked when Hank lifted their joined hands and pressed his lips to the hard gray plastic. His LED spun yellow as he tried to process this gesture. That…was definitely not a familial action. The realization made him feel a little dizzy. Still, though, the confession would not fall from his lips.

They remained silent until they pulled up to the house. Hank reluctantly let go of Connor’s hand, and the android replaced his skin. They ambled out of the car, and Hank reached for Connor, guided him inside by pressing a gentle hand to the small of Connor’s back.

Connor immediately fell onto the couch once they were inside, curling up next to a slumbering Sumo. The dog shifted awake just slightly, making a small noise, only to fall right back asleep against the android.

Hank watched them with a fond smile and moved to take off Connor’s shoes for him, setting them aside along with Connor’s jacket and tie, which he only vaguely remembered taking off. 

Connor gave a low hum of appreciation before letting his eyes slip closed. He understood now why humans sometimes wanted to just sleep when they were overworked or stressed. They wanted to slip into sweet oblivion for just a little while. That sounded wonderful to Connor at the moment.

He was only vaguely aware of Hank’s fingers against his scalp, running through his artificial hair, as he felt the same gentle swell of emotions as before. Affection, warmth, safety, love.

INITIATE STASIS?

…

YES.

STASIS MODE CONFIRMED.

ENTERING STATIS…


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, the last chapter! It got just a liiiitle saucy so I'm changing this fic rating to M. It isn't fully explicit, sorry to disappoint, but there are some themes that made me decided to change it.
> 
> A lot of fluff and getting together goodness for all of you lovely readers, kudo givers and commenters! All your support with this fic was so, so appreciated!
> 
> Keep an eye out for my other Hank/Connor fic, The Gift, which I'm gonna start tonight if you're interested in reading more works by me!
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the last chapter! :)

When Connor woke up, it was well into the evening. His systems came online and he registered his surroundings. He felt Sumo still resting against him on the couch. The television was on, playing a basketball game on low volume. He shifted a little and noticed another weight at the end of the couch. Hank was sitting, relaxed and in his comfortable clothes, watching the game. Connor’s legs were curled over Hank’s lap, feet pressing into the armrest.

The human didn’t seem to notice that Connor was awake yet, eyes fixed on the game as his hand rested on Connor’s shin. Connor blinked a few more times, before moving to sit up. Sumo gave a soft whine at being disturbed and Hank finally looked over to him.

“Hey. Welcome back to the land of the living,” Hank teased before he sipped at something. Connor registered dark liquid and worried for a moment before a scan told him it was just diet coke.

Connor peered outside as if to get a physical reassurance that his internal clock was correct and it really was as late as it was indicating. “I…did not mean to be in stasis for this long,” Connor admitted. He reluctantly pulled his legs out of Hank’s lap so he could sit up fully.

“Eh, it’s fine. You needed it,” Hank told him, eyes now fixed on him and not paying attention to the game in the slightest. Connor felt a little bashful at the attention and detected a fluttering feeling in his core.

Then, Connor realized something with a slight jolt. “Hank! Your dinner! You should have woken me up…” Connor chastised as he went to stand so he could make the human something. It was exactly 8:14 pm so it would be a little late, but better than nothing.

A warm hand stopped his movement and pulled him back onto the couch. “You don’t have to worry about that. I ate already,” Hank admitted, casting a look over into the kitchen. Connor’s gaze went over to the little round table and he frowned when he saw Chinese take-out boxes.

“Hank,” Connor chastised, looking back over to the human, who just laughed and took another sip of his soda. Connor pouted a bit at that, arms crossing over his chest. “Your meal was well over your recommended caloric intake!”

Hank laughed some more, gentle warmth in his blue eyes. And really, Connor couldn’t stay mad at that. “Well, I had to take advantage of the fact that my nagging wife was out for the count,” Hank joked. Connor blinked and then huffed, albeit unnecessarily. Expulsions and intakes of breath as a reaction to emotions were a feature of his breathing program, and he could tell Hank enjoyed the humanity such actions gave him.

“I am not your wife,” Connor stated obviously, and he was unable to say this without a soft smile forming on his features. A comfortable silence fell over them for a moment. Connor felt warm and safe and happy, despite the discovery that Hank had eaten a vastly unhealthy dinner.

His thoughts went to earlier in the day. The car ride home, when they’d grasped each other’s hands and he’d felt Hank’s lips on the bare knuckles of his chassis. That was…probably a discussion that needed to be had.

“Although…I suppose our exact nature should be discussed,” Connor added to his earlier jest, but now his face was serious. He felt Hank stiffen a bit beside him. Sumo finally gave up on getting back into the comfortable position they’d been in and jumped off the couch to sleep in his dog bed.

Hank sighed and reached for the remote, turning off the game. Connor predicted that the Detroit Gears had an 87% chance of winning based off of current scores and statistics. He let himself think on this trivial fact in order to distract himself from how nervous he was feeling. Maybe he’d read it all wrong? Perhaps Hank had just been overly affectionate, given Connor’s mental state?

“Yeah,” Hank spoke up, allowing Connor to again focus on the present. “We should probably talk about all of that.” The human set his now empty glass aside and turned to look at Connor. The android wasn’t sure he had ever seen Hank look so willing to have an emotional discussion before this instance.

When silence fell over the room again, it was decidedly more strained than before. Connor hesitated, not exactly knowing how to go forward. He wanted to say it. He had no idea how Hank would react, but he had an approximately 83% chance of the feeling being reciprocated. Those odds seemed good enough.

“Hank…” Connor started, fidgeting a bit before he looked directly into Hank’s eyes. He wasn’t going to parse his words. He wasn’t going to retreat this time. He’d held back too many times before this, and he wasn’t going to allow it to happen again.

“Hank, I love you.”

The admission gave Connor a startlingly varied array of emotion. Initially, he felt relief. The words being spoken into the air made a seeming weight lift off of Connor’s shoulders. Then, he felt nervousness, anxiety. This was the moment where he could lose Hank forever. Everything they’d been through together could all crumble at this very second.

Hank’s eyes went a little wide, and Connor felt further panic set in. Please, he thought, I can’t lose Hank. He didn’t know whom he was pleading with. The universe, RA9, God. Whoever would listen.

“Shit, Con,” Hank finally said, gruff voice filling the air around them. “Why the hell would you want someone like me? You could have anyone you want. There’s gotta be someone out there who’s better for you than an old washed up cop.”

Connor wasn’t sure how to react to that at first. It wasn’t a rejection, necessarily, but Hank hadn’t returned the sentiment either. “I…why would I want anyone else? My emotional attachment is with you,” Connor spoke clearly, though he felt confused about what Hank had said.

Hank regarded him for a moment before shaking his head, a bemused, bittersweet smile on his face. His long gray hair shook slightly in his face and this time, Connor did not resist the temptation to reach out and tuck a wayward strand behind Hank’s ear.

Hank stilled at the motion and looked back up at the android. “Connor, you don’t want me,” Hank told him seriously. “I’m no good for you. I’m old. I’ve got enough emotional baggage for the both of us plus some. And I’m human…I ain’t gonna live forever,” Hank said quietly.

Connor’s LED spun quickly, stuck on yellow as he tried to sort out what Hank was telling him. He clenched his jaw stubbornly and made a decision right then and there. 

He slipped onto the human’s lap, legs straddling him. His hands cupped Hank’s face and he lifted Hank’s head enough so he could lean down and plant a soft kiss on the man’s lips.

Relief washed over the android as he felt Hank kiss him back and place big, warm hands on his hips. He pressed into it more, deepening it, making sure that Hank knew just how much he wanted this.

When they separated, Connor saw that Hank’s pupils were blown, an obvious sign of desire. They both wanted this. There was no reason for them to deny each other out of fear of the future. “Shut up,” Connor told Hank swiftly. “Don’t tell me what I want. I know what I want. And I want you.” His voice came out a little breathy, another side effect from his breathing program, coupled with his newfound deviancy.

Hank was silent for a long moment, looking disbelieving that Connor would say this, that Connor would want him at all. It made Connor angry and determined to show the human that nothing would make him happier than being with Hank and only Hank, for as long as the human was alive.

“Well…shit.” Hank finally spoke up. “I guess this is happening.”

Connor felt an elated smile bloom on his face. He kissed Hank again, quicker this time, just because he couldn’t keep it all in. Happiness warmed every inch of Connor’s being. Hank wanted him back.

It didn’t bother him that Hank hadn’t said ‘I love you’ in return. He knew how big of a step that was for humans. He didn’t mind waiting until Hank was ready to say it.

They spent a little while like that, kissing and touching on the couch. Connor wondered if they were going to take this further, maybe stumble back to the bedroom. He felt Hank’s hands slide along his thighs and he shivered, feeling desire light up along his spine.

“Hank…” Connor breathed, eyes dark and half-lidded as he pulled away from their latest kiss to look at the human. Hank’s mouth hung open a bit in disbelief as he regarded the android. Connor noted a soft blush on the human’s cheeks.

“Fucking Christ, are you trying to kill me?” Hank asked. “That’s it, isn’t it? This is just some drawn out attempt at murdering me. That’s the only explanation for you looking at me like that,” Hank rambled a bit. Connor couldn’t help the delicate laugh that sounded from him at Hank’s jesting.

Connor leaned over a bit, trailing kisses along the human’s neck now. Hank’s hands gripped at Connor’s thighs and the android couldn’t help but roll his hips down experimentally. He felt…other telltale signs of desire from the human with that particular movement.

“Shit. Okay. You’re sure that you want this to happen?” Hank stopped him, pressing at Connor’s chest gently, just enough to get him to look Hank in the eyes again. Connor’s tongue darted out to lick his own lips.

“I’d like to keep tasting you, Hank. If that’s all right with you.” Hank spluttered at Connor’s words, the red in his face drastically increasing. Connor did a quick scan, just to check that the human’s heart was functioning normally. It was, despite the increased BPM.

“Fuck, Connor, you can’t just say shit like that!” Hank implored, but Connor sensed that it was mostly a positive reaction. The human was just nervous, and Connor could admit to being fairly nervous himself. Though, if the human showed any more signs of hesitance, Connor would halt his seduction attempts.

The android grinned mischievously and leaned over to whisper lowly, making sure his lips brushed against the shell of Hank’s ear. “Luckily for you, I’m not interested in continued conversation tonight.”

Hank cursed and Connor let out another laugh as the human stood and all but dragged Connor back to the bedroom.

Connor didn’t go back into stasis afterward. He had slept all day long, and his programs and hardware were all functioning at full capacity. There was no need for further stasis tonight. He glanced over to Hank, who was snoring softly, tangled up in the sheets.

A soft smile found its way onto Connor’s face. Tonight had been perfect. It had been everything that the android had been hoping for. Hank had accepted him, taken him to bed. Connor squirmed a bit and realized could still feel the evidence of their earlier activities. It liked it, liked having that reminder of their time together. He’s sure that thought would have caused Hank to blush and stammer profusely.

Connor watched the human sleep for a moment before he remembered that they often thought someone watching them while they slept was creepy. He stood carefully, not wanting to wake Hank. The sheets slipped off his naked form.

He stepped into the bathroom to clean himself, and once he was done with that, he stood in front of the mirror, watching the slow blinking blue of his own LED. He let his skin slip away completely, staring at himself, the blank chassis. He wondered if Hank would still want him like this.

“Connor?” He heard Hank’s tired voice. Connor startled a bit and quickly reactivated his skin. Hank peered in and saw the end of it, just barely catching the glimmer of the skin reappearing.

“You should be sleeping,” Connor told him softly, before reaching over to the human, hoping to distract. He didn’t want to ruin this perfect night. He put his hands on Hank’s chest, right at his collarbone, feeling the broadness of it. Hank let out a pleased rumbling sound and leaned down for a soft kiss.

Yes, Connor thought, this is everything he’d hoped for and more.

“Can’t sleep without you,” Hank admitted gruffly when they broke apart, a light flush on his cheeks for having to say it. Connor tilted his head a bit and smiled at the admission. It was sweet. Connor supposed he didn’t have to go into stasis to lie next to Hank for the night.

“I do not need further stasis. Although, I will lie beside you, if it’s what you want,” Connor told him tenderly. He let his hands trail upward, over Hank’s shoulders. He enjoyed the warmth of Hank’s skin and the little imperfections under his fingertips.

“You don’t have to do that, you know.” Hank’s voice sounded quietly in the bathroom. Connor tilted his head, pretending not to know what the human was talking about. He felt nervous about what he looked like. Hank had looked at him tonight like he was something truly beautiful. He wouldn’t see the same thing without the skin, surely.

Connor just hummed. He didn’t want to ask Hank to clarify. “Connor I mean it,” Hank said after understanding that Connor was going to remain silent about this. “I don’t care about your skin. I don’t care if you want to…” He waved his hand around a bit as he found the right words. “If you want to take it off or whatever.”

Honestly, Connor might have laughed at Hank’s lack of eloquence if the subject wasn’t so close to home. “I…I am afraid you won’t find me attractive in that state,” Connor confessed faintly.

Hank was stunned into silence before he gave an irritated huff and grabbed Connor’s hands, taking them in his. “Hey, you stop that bullshit,” Hank demanded, eyes serious. “Take your damn skin off. Go on.”

Connor hesitated, unsure. It wasn’t as if he had any personal reason that he didn’t want to. His only hesitation was that Hank wouldn’t like the sight of him. It made him nervous for that reason alone. Connor didn’t have any feelings about himself one way or the other.

“You’re sure?” Connor asked the human, brown eyes searching blue. Hank nodded, not hesitating for even a moment. Connor sighed and nodded. They’d come so far tonight with each other. What was one more thing to lay bare?

He turned his skin off and closed his eyes as the glimmer of the nanotechnology receding gave way to his blank chassis. He refused to open his eyes at first, not wanting to see Hank’s face of horror or disgust.

Then, however, he felt a sharp pleasurable sensation as Hank touched his bare cheek. His eyes snapped open, glancing at the human in confusion. He caught the reflection of himself on the bathroom mirror, out of his peripheral vision. Tones of gray, sharp lines, small model numbers, and product stamps.

“You feel more intensely like this, don’t ya?” Hank asked him, nothing but soft warmth in his gaze. Connor was surprised to see it, though he supposed he shouldn’t be. Hank cared for him. Of course the human wouldn’t mind this, but still, Connor had been fearful. Anxious.

“Yes,” Connor said in return, simple. He didn’t quite trust his voice or his processor to come up with an intelligible sentence at that moment. He leaned into Hank’s touch instead of saying anything more. The touch was amplified, almost a little too intense.

Hank’s hand traveled from Connor’s cheek, down over his neck, shoulder, along his arm, until he was again holding Connor’s hand in his. He linked their fingers together. “I know androids got that…interfacing thing. I’m sorry I can’t give you that.” Hank sounded beyond sincere.

Connor shook his head. He didn’t care about that. He was slightly curious about how it felt, but he also didn’t want to know, because that would mean not being with Hank. “I…you don’t think I’m unattractive?” Connor asked, just to be sure.

“What? Of fucking course not, Con. You’re you. It doesn’t fucking matter if you got the skin tech on or not. I…” Hank cleared his throat a bit and Connor’s thirium regulator stalled for a quick moment. “I love you. Got it? I love you no matter what you look like.”

Connor was shocked. He hadn’t expected Hank to say it back so quickly. Connor let out a happy sound, full of relief and he hugged Hank tightly. He shivered at how sensitive it was and let his skin come back on. “I love you, too.”

Hank pressed a soft kiss to Connor’s LED. “Hey what did I say? You don’t gotta…” Hank was about to protest concerning Connor’s skin again but the bot interrupted him swiftly.

“It isn’t that. It’s just…too sensitive. It’s a lot more input than I’m used to,” Connor professed with a shy smile as he pulled away from their embrace. Hank raised an eyebrow at that, looking interested at the information.

“Sensitive, huh? Well, I guess we’ll need to run some experiments as far as that goes.” Hank looked amused, as it was Connor’s turn to blush and glance away. Usually, it was Connor’s bluntness that had Hank feeling flustered.

The human kissed Connor again softly before leading him by the hand out of the bathroom. Connor turned the light off as they went, lumbering across the hallway to Hank’s bedroom.

“Come on, you wore me the fuck out tonight. Loved it, but an old man’s gotta get his shut-eye after a ride like that,” Hank told him with a guffaw as they clamored back into bed. Connor cuddled close to the man as their limbs tangled together.

As Connor listened to Hank fall back asleep, he couldn’t help the small content smile on his lips. He closed his eyes and listened to the human’s heartbeat, a comforting and rhythmic sound that meant Hank was alive, safe and close. 

He realized then that he wasn’t lost anymore. He was right where he was supposed to be. He was home.


End file.
